Hopefully someone here can give me some advice....

[beachinmoney]

[font=Hi, I am thinking of purchasing the Obi110. Since buying the MJP would mean changing your number and now it's more expensive I am either doing this or doing the Nettalk. Also, it might be important that I use Cox. They are new to me but they are fishy. It's really my only chose in this area though. I would have liked to have done this yesterday but no one over at the OBi forum answered my post. I am hoping someone here will. I am trying to do what I can to make sure it works and that there won't be a lot of bugs. I currently have a MagicJack. I am tired of being stuck to the computer to use it. Also tired of the strain I feel it puts on my computer and I don't feel safe with having to open a port for it. I saw posts here where you have to do the same thing apparently for this product.

MagicJack by the way has come out with the new MagicJack Plus which gets plugged into your router. Not your computer if you want it that way. Then you don't have to leave your computer on. My concern with MagicJack is that they can shut off your service or change your number and you are not allowed to connect to other VoiP's like sipgate or GV. They can just up and disconnect you if they want. On the other hand I have been using their service for a year and I know it works.... I just moved here. I just came back from a brief year in Mexico and am glad to be back in the US but not working yet so trying to do what I can for the least amount of money.

First of all, I am looking at buying the D-Link DIR-601/RE Wireless N 150 Home Router. I currently have a D-link but it's quite old and there are no more software updates. This one looks to have positive feedback. Does anyone have an opinion on it. I can get it for around $20 including shipping. My MagicJack expires in 6 days so I have to get things ordered if I am going to do this. On my network I have a Roku and a Wii, two computers and, well, that's it. Two computers are down. I have a pre-paid T-mobile plan with a Nokia N95. I had an Xperia X1 but it got stolen the first week I was in Mexico... Lot's of those stories!!!!

Basically, I want to use Sipgate to receive inbound calls because it's free. I already have a number. I am in AZ now. It is a Tucson number but it should still be free for me right??? I have a GV number. It's not local to AZ either. I am from WA originally. I want to set it up to make out bound calls because that's free as well. Does anyone know if that is going to change and if so what to expect?

I live in a two story townhouse and will be running my business from home. So, I need to be able to fax. Can I do that from GV? Then I also want my cell phone to be hooked into it so that I can make calls without using my minutes as long as I am logged onto the web. When I am not I want to be able to pick up one of the house phones without being glued to the computer and being able to move around the house with a cordless phone.

So, 1. I need advice on the router purchase, 2, on the best way to set this up, 3. If it's very workable and very simple and which OBi I need to purchase.....

Thanks in advance for anyone's input and or opinion. Huh Wink[/font][/font]

[nailgunner]

Since buying the MJP would mean changing your number

For the record. This is the 3rd post he has mentioned this, and I think it's 100% incorrect for current MJ users. They may not be set up to port numbers into the Plus. But my chats with them have left little doubt that if you add the Plus to an existing MJ account, you keep your old MJ number.

[VaHam]

Hi, I am a newbie and I have not purchased the system yet. I would like to do that today but need to make sure that what I want to do will work and that there won't be a lot of bugs. I currently have a MagicJack. I am tired of being stuck to the computer to use it. Also tired of the strain I feel it puts on my computer and I don't feel safe with having to open a port for it. I saw posts here where you have to do the same thing apparently for this product.

You do not have to open any ports for a MJ provided you have a properly working router which supports UPnP and have it set up correctly.

MagicJack by the way has come out with the new MagicJack Plus which gets plugged into your router. Not your computer if you want it that way. Then you don't have to leave your computer on. My concern with MagicJack is that they can shut off your service or change your number and you are not allowed to connect to other VoiP's like sipgate or GV. They can just up and disconnect you if they want. On the other hand I have been using their service for a year and I know it works.... I just moved here. I just came back from a brief year in Mexico and am glad to be back in the US but not working yet so trying to do what I can for the least amount of money.

The versatility and ability to use an ATA such as the OBi does have advantages over any of the locked devices such as the MJ, NetTalk Duo and Ooma etc.

First of all, I am looking at buying the D-Link DIR-601/RE Wireless N 150 Home Router. I currently have a D-link but it's quite old and there are no more software updates. This one looks to have positive feedback. Does anyone have an opinion on it. I can get it for around $20 including shipping.

I saw that others have reported problems with VOIP using this router and a firmware upgrade may be needed http://www.voipphoneplanet.com/news/new ... he-dir-601 It appears that the 601 can handle dd-wrt which IMHO give you very good control over your network and can easily manage VOIP in addition to other features. http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=88838

My MagicJack expires in 6 days so I have to get things ordered if I am going to do this. On my network I have a Roku and a Wii, two computers and, well, that's it. Two computers are down. I have a pre-paid T-mobile plan with a Nokia N95. I had an Xperia X1 but it got stolen the first week I was in Mexico... Lot's of those stories!!!!

Since you have several pieces of equipment on your network you may need to do some work in order to get QOS tuned. DD-WRT can handle this for you but will require some work on your part.

Basically, I want to use Sipgate to receive inbound calls because it's free. I already have a number. I am in AZ now. It is a Tucson number but it should still be free for me right??? I have a GV number. It's not local to AZ either. I am from WA originally. I want to set it up to make out bound calls because that's free as well. Does anyone know if that is going to change and if so what to expect?

Yes you can register one of your two SIP trunks on the OBi to Sipgate and the other to GV. You can receive calls from either and place calls on GV. I would recommend putting the GV on SP1 and Sipgate on SP2 since the OBi come configured to attempting an outgoing call on SP1 first by default.

I live in a two story townhouse and will be running my business from home. So, I need to be able to fax. Can I do that from GV? Then I also want my cell phone to be hooked into it so that I can make calls without using my minutes as long as I am logged onto the web. When I am not I want to be able to pick up one of the house phones without being glued to the computer and being able to move around the house with a cordless phone.

FAX over VOIP is challenging with any provider. In general best results can be achieved by slowing down the FAX speed. I have not personally tried FAXing over GV.

So, 1. I need advice on the router purchase, 2, on the best way to set this up, 3. If it's very workable and very simple and which OBi I need to purchase.....

Routers are like cars which one do you prefer? It appears that the 601 can be made to handle VOIP but may not do so right out of the box. The price you quoted seems to be very good. With multiple devices running you are most likely going to need QOS. I prefer the OBi 110 over the OBi 100 since it allows for a regular POTS line (or one from another device such as MJ or NetTalk) to be plugged in and then your phone can make and receive calls from that as well as your OBi setup VOIP trunks.

One thing you need to keep in mind is that you will not have 911 capability with this setup unless you do plug in a line which has that feature into the OBi since GV does not provide 911. There are ways discussed here on the OBi forum to program the OBi to call the regular number for your emergency operations center where 911 is when you dial 911 on the phone. So something similar to 911 can be achieved but it is not quite the same. In some localities the non 911 lines are not manned with the same level of service.

[beachinmoney]

BTW, I am a girl, I couldn't figure out how to load my picture as it just offers for a avatar. I spoke to two different people at MJ chat yesterday that said that you had to get a new number for the MJP. They aggravate me so much. They aren't the brightest in the bunch. I made it really clear how important that was to me more then once and they both stuck by their answers that it had to be a new number.

We just barely got ourselves back into the states and two of my computers are dead and my other two got bombarded with Microsoft updates and lost a lot of data, I also think I stopped it but I had memory leaks from a hotfix they installed. Something also happened to my current router. It's old though. Its a T-mobile D-link G5240. I feel very comfortable with the D-links but I don't understand some of what you said. I have Cox cable and I feel like some of my issues have been related to them. They will reset my connection and all kinds of things. Do you have any fear that Google Voice is not going to be free for too much longer? What would be the purpose of getting the Obi1100 and having Nettalk Duo? I can't afford to do both right now. We have to find work quick! Maybe the thing to do is to get the Nettalk Duo first and then buy the Obi1100 to compliment it??? What does ATA mean? There is also rumor that Nettalk is going into the cell phone business and since At&T just bought T-mobile and I'm on prepaid that could change my entire cell phone plan as well. Why can't people just sit still and quit messing up us consumers. I finally had found a good T-mobile, pre-paid. All I had to do was pay $4.99 for my sim card, got my number and I pay $30 a month. I get 1500 minutes and 30gb data and text. That's pretty good!

I've been reading so much about all this new VoIP stuff hopefully soon it won't all sound greed but the code I saw did scare me. I just you just change a few things in the code and cut and paste. I will look for your answer. Going to get a little sleep now.

[scotty200]

[quote="beachinmoney" I spoke to two different people at MJ chat yesterday that said that you had to get a new number for the MJP. They aggravate me so much. They aren't the brightest in the bunch. I made it really clear how important that was to me more then once and they both stuck by their answers that it had to be a new number.

[/quote]

if you have the old MJ u can keep your number active on both mj's if u do not then yes u cant port the number yet but in time they will

all you have to do is when u register the MJplus u use all the same info u did on the old one and u should keep your number and use both MJ's

hope this helps

[nailgunner]

BTW, I am a girl, I couldn't figure out how to load my picture as it just offers for a avatar. I spoke to two different people at MJ chat yesterday that said that you had to get a new number for the MJP. They aggravate me so much. They aren't the brightest in the bunch. I made it really clear how important that was to me more then once and they both stuck by their answers that it had to be a new number.

Oops. No offense was intended. This forum is like a Star Trek convention, female sightings are rare.

It's not an easy endeavor chatting with them. I think they type the question into a database and just read whatever pops up on their computer in India, or wherever. If you have decided to move on, it's a non-issue now. But I'm betting that if you asked them if you can add the Plus to your current MJ account and keep the same number, and don't use the word porting, the answer would be yes.

Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

[VaHam]

I feel very comfortable with the D-links but I don't understand some of what you said.

Google some of those terms and you'll find information much better than I could type here. The two links I provided address the issue of firmware updates for the 601 router your looking at.

I have Cox cable and I feel like some of my issues have been related to them. They will reset my connection and all kinds of things.

What issues?

Do you have any fear that Google Voice is not going to be free for too much longer?

No I have no fear; if they went away; I would simply use another VOIP provider. If you look at the cost of say voipo for instance you can unlimited calling US and Canada (all over - no blocking like MJ) for as low as $6.21/month.

If or when GV may start charging (more likely than going away) or in the worst case stop providing VOIP is anyone's guess. First they said thru 2010 then they changed it to thru 2011 now they have removed any end date. If you Google that you'll find lots of guesses.

What would be the purpose of getting the Obi1100 and having Nettalk Duo? I can't afford to do both right now. We have to find work quick! Maybe the thing to do is to get the Nettalk Duo first and then buy the Obi1100 to compliment it???

The 110 allows for future expansion which the 100 does not have and the cost is only about $6.00 higher. IMHO well worth it. The Amazon price of the OBi 110 is $49.99 and the price of the NetTalk Duo is $69.95. As you pointed out yourself the OBi is more flexible in that it is not locked to a single VOIP provider.

What does ATA mean?

The OBi is an example of an ATA = Analog Telephone Adapter

There is also rumor that Nettalk is going into the cell phone business and since At&T just bought T-mobile and I'm on prepaid that could change my entire cell phone plan as well. Why can't people just sit still and quit messing up us consumers. I finally had found a good T-mobile, pre-paid. All I had to do was pay $4.99 for my sim card, got my number and I pay $30 a month. I get 1500 minutes and 30gb data and text. That's pretty good!

Something I have been looking at is the Virgin Mobile (which uses the Sprint network). They have an unlimited data plan with no phone minutes but if you have an OBi you can just load a softphone on a smart phone and use that for phone service. I am not recommending you jump and do that but maybe something to look at. They used to offer that plan for $25/mo but I think it has gone up to $35/mo now.

I've been reading so much about all this new VoIP stuff hopefully soon it won't all sound greed but the code I saw did scare me. I just you just change a few things in the code and cut and paste. I will look for your answer. Going to get a little sleep now.

I don't know what code your talking about? The basic setup of the OBi requires no more than entering your GV and Sipgate login and Password information.

If you go with that 601 router you may need to update it's firmware; which would be the hardest I would think.

[Kif Kroker]

Something I have been looking at is the Virgin Mobile (which uses the Sprint network). They have an unlimited data plan with no phone minutes but if you have an OBi you can just load a softphone on a smart phone and use that for phone service. I am not recommending you jump and do that but maybe something to look at. They used to offer that plan for $25/mo but I think it has gone up to $35/mo now.

I just got the LG Optimus V Android phone this month at Walmart for $150 from Virgin Mobile and signed up for the $25/month unlimited text/data/web and 300 anytime minutes. They do try to trick you when signing up, they show 3 monthly plans the cheapest being $35/month. But if you look at the bottom of all that there is a small link for "Other Plans" or something similar, and they are the exact same 3 plans just cheaper. That is where I was able to sign up for the $25/month plan, so look at the sign up page carefully. More than half way through the month I have only used 34 of my 300 anytime minutes because of being able to use the Google Voice and the OBiON apps. I also have a few of the Android SIP clients I am playing with now too. Really want to get CSIPSimple working for ZRTP encrypted VoIP calls.

I have a OBi110 which I know can call out on using the OBiON Android app using the unlimited data in my plan. My mJ is plugged into the LINE port on my 110, so I can take and make calls through my cell phone for it.

And some VoIP providers, including sipgate, offer a fairly cheap E911 plan if you want to go with Google Voice and still have that safety net. It's not hard to configure the OBi devices to route 911 calls to a particular provider and even dial a standard emergency number for you when you dial 911.

Dave

[beachinmoney]

Okay, now I am feeling like I made the wrong decision. I bought the Nettalk Duo. Should I cancel? I also bought the Total for this Order: $21.99


Delivery estimate: Aug. 24, 2011
1 "Cisco-Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router"
Electronics; $21.99

I did the prime trial of 30 days to get it here in 2 days free shipping. I bought the Nettalk Duo from P.C. Richard and Sons with free shipping for a total of $58.00. But I'm already paying more because by going with Nettalk I have to pay $29 every year and I am limited to 5000 minutes a month.

I use my Nokia N95 with T-mobile. It connects to the internet. I like the idea of an android phone but I just had to pay $4.00 for the sim card and then it's only $30 a month and I get 1500 minutes for voice and text and 30gb of Data. I use my WiFi while at home on the phone and I am hoping to work from home so the minutes are way more then I need and I shouldn't need the WiFi either. Just when out and about. I have been using it and texting like crazy and talking a lot and even on the internet while waiting for my husband to get his new AZ Drivers license and other things. I renew on the 26 and I haven't used half of the data and I think I have about 650 minutes at least left....

Okay, do I return the NetTalk Duo????????????????????????????????

Also, I never mentioned the word Port to the CSR. I just said I want to keep the number I have.

[Kif Kroker]

Well, I have never used Nettalk, so I can't say if you made a mistake or not, I doubt either route could be considered a "mistake" anyway. Either option is "probably" an improvement over mJ.

I have had my OBi110 for about 1/2 a year now, and I am pretty impressed with its capabilities, features, and support. And GV has been a good service for me. I rarely use my mJ now that I have this OBi/GV setup. The Android app really is a nice feature too I plan to use a lot. The help one gets on the Obihai forum has been very good. Their employees and other OBi users are for the most part willing to help with most any problem or configuration issue.

I have recommended the OBi to friends as I do think its a good product.

Dave

[beachinmoney]

I would love to have an Android phone but I just have a few concerns about Google monitoring my ever activity. I mean if I don't find work soon I may have to become a criminal and they could trace me easily! Just kidding. I think your probably a lot more technical with me. I just convinced myself that the extra money spent on the NetTalk Duo would be worth all the head ache of not trying to learn to program all that script in that I saw written on the OBi page. I mean, with my lack of sleep due to trying to get all the computers working write again I have stared at the Sipgate and GV forever and can't figure out how to get first sip set up. Oh, I've made calls but they go to one device or another and I never can talk to myself. I also tried to add my sipgate account to Google and it basically said no dice babe! Here's all I want to do with it. Maybe you can help me get it going correctly. I want to call out on Google cause that is what is free. I want to get incoming calls from Sipgate. I would like for sipgate to ring my cell without it going against my cell phone minutes plan and or my mj phone or I will change that to my netTalk when it gets here. I would like a back up of maybe it ringing both phones, as long as there is caller ID I can decide to answer it or not. I also don't want to have to use the computer all the time to do it. I would like to be able to dial from the phones, either one.

I have re-ordered the NetTalk through NetTalk so that I can send it back if I am not thrilled. I would like to know what else the OBit1100 does that you think is head and shoulders above NetTalk. Besides the obvious of not having to pay $30 a year to renew and also not having to spend an extra $10 to purchase. I'm so confused! No, not confused. Just wonder if I bought the best product. I want my computer and internet and my Roku and Wii Netflicks to get the best and clearest speed possible. Is that only based on what my router is capable of doing. My computer, the desk top has a really badly configured graphic card for the system. Everything else on the computer scores like 4.8 and then when they finish with the graphic card it brings it down to 3.5. Other then that I think it's fast enough for now. There isn't really anything in-expensive that could be added to it that would change that. I plan to upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. I have Windows 7 Home Premium now. That won't speed things up but there are certainly a lot of features with it that makes things easier.

[N7AS]

Hi beachinmoney,

I use an OBi110 and love it.
I have Google Voice as my primary for outbound calls. I use Localphone.com for inbound calls (FREE) and to call TollFree numbers. I pay $0.99 per month for a local US DID (phone number). If you use Localphone for outbound, it only costs $0.005 per minute...thats 1/2 cent. I have 2 other GV numbers forward to my Localphone DID. I use several Voice Gateways on the OBi110 to call out on other trunks. For example, I have 4 Whistlephone accounts (FREE) for outbound calls. Another Gateway for calling iNum numbers. Another to use Localphone for outbound international numbers. Plus I have the Line Port of the OBi110 connected to my PAP2T ATA for yet another inbound GV number. All going to one phone.

[VaHam]

I just got the LG Optimus V Android phone this month at Walmart for $150 from Virgin Mobile and signed up for the $25/month unlimited text/data/web and 300 anytime minutes. They do try to trick you when signing up, they show 3 monthly plans the cheapest being $35/month. But if you look at the bottom of all that there is a small link for "Other Plans" or something similar, and they are the exact same 3 plans just cheaper. That is where I was able to sign up for the $25/month plan, so look at the sign up page carefully.

Thanks for that tip!!!!

[beachinmoney]

Okay Grant, I can't even figure out what you are talking about let alone set it up or figure out the cost. 1. limited income, just moved here and not working yet. 2. Not a programmer. I'm not stupid but that's just a bit greek to me.

[VaHam]

I just got the LG Optimus V Android phone this month at Walmart for $150 from Virgin Mobile and signed up for the $25/month unlimited text/data/web and 300 anytime minutes. They do try to trick you when signing up, they show 3 monthly plans the cheapest being $35/month. But if you look at the bottom of all that there is a small link for "Other Plans" or something similar, and they are the exact same 3 plans just cheaper. That is where I was able to sign up for the $25/month plan, so look at the sign up page carefully.

Ok I feel stupid but I searched all the links at the bottom of the Virgin Mobile site and cannot find the link you mention. Does that only show up during actual activation or something?

[Kif Kroker]

I just got the LG Optimus V Android phone this month at Walmart for $150 from Virgin Mobile and signed up for the $25/month unlimited text/data/web and 300 anytime minutes. They do try to trick you when signing up, they show 3 monthly plans the cheapest being $35/month. But if you look at the bottom of all that there is a small link for "Other Plans" or something similar, and they are the exact same 3 plans just cheaper. That is where I was able to sign up for the $25/month plan, so look at the sign up page carefully.

Ok I feel stupid but I searched all the links at the bottom of the Virgin Mobile site and cannot find the link you mention. Does that only show up during actual activation or something?

Yes, I got that page when I was activating my new phone. The box my Optimus V came in actually lists the $25/month plan on it, that's why I was a little confused when the cheapest plan they first listed was for $35/month.

The Optimus V is not by any means the most advanced Android phone on the market, but for $150 for the phone and $25/month for unlimited text and data I'm really liking it.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Dave